Former Botched Star And Justin Bieber Lookalike Found Dead

Death is as much a part of life as anything else, and tons of people meet their maker on a daily basis. But few incidents happen exactly like this one, as reality show magnet and Justin Bieberlookalike Toby Sheldon was recently found dead under somewhat mysterious circumstances. He was 35 years old.

Sheldon, who famously spent over $100,000 on plastic surgery and other enhancements to look like his idol Justin Bieber, made headlines recently after he was reported missing by friends on August 18, having last been seen in West Hollywood. Oddly enough, he was found dead on Friday, August 21, but news of his death didn’t go public until several days later. An autopsy has been performed, but a cause of death has yet to be confirmed, and it’s apparently not immediately obvious how he died.

He was found in a Motel 6 in San Fernando Valley by authorities, according to TMZ, and law enforcement reportedly found drugs inside the room, although they weren’t specific about what drugs were there, and it’s not clear if they played a part in his death or not. Sheldon had allegedly just broken up with his boyfriend, and it’s possible that this could have played a part in his initial disappearance. But that, as well, is unconfirmed. There’s no telling at this point just how long the autopsy results will take, but hopefully a conclusive explanation for Sheldon’s death will be disclosed at some point to offer closure to those who were close to him.

Sheldon, who was born with the name Tobias Strebel, reached a level of fame/notoriety back in 2013 when it became public knowledge that he had spent several years and a slew of money on changing his appearance – by way of a chin reduction, eyelid surgery, hairline-lowering and more – to look like Bieber, whom Sheldon had become obsessed with since the pop star had become famous in 2008. He was also quite public about saying his transformation wasn’t complete, and that he planned on dedicating more time and money to his look. The over-the-top appearance alterations got him a spot on TLC’s My Strange Addiction in 2014, as well as on E!’s plastic surgery show Botched. You can watch a clip from that series below.

We at CinemaBlend send out our thoughts and condolences to Sheldon’s family and friends in their time of mourning.